Guideless
by kyoiku kanji
Summary: After reading my last story, someone asked "I wonder what things were like for Jim while Blair was at the Academy." That got me thinking. This series of stories are my attempt to answer that question and "What were things like for Sandburg?"
1. Prolog

**Disclaimer: **This work is not meant to challenge ownership of the characters and places used in the story. Cascade, Simon Banks, Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg et al belong to Pet Fly (among others) It is meant to honor a show that ended long before it needed to.

**Prolog**

**December 8****th**** 1999 23:17**

Captain Simon Banks of the Cascade PD looked at the clock and then back at the man sitting next to him in the passenger seat of his sedan. To him it seemed unreal, but the presence and condition of the man sitting next to him made it all too real.

Where had things gone wrong?

Just an hour ago he and his unit had been planning a graduation party for Officer Blair Sandburg, a man who'd become a part of his team long before he set foot in the Academy. Lists had been made and decorations were being hung. It was a party before the party.

He remembered how a silence had fallen over the loft as the game they'd been listening too was interrupted for a breaking news story.

They all knew how sketchy initial reports on a 'situation' could be. Experience had taught them all how wrong first impressions could be, but there was no way a shooting at the Academy could be considered anything less than devastating.

_This could not be happening._

He and Jim had headed out immediately. They knew it would take them at least an hour to get there, even running code. Odds were that whatever was happening would be over by the time they got there, but they knew they would be needed.

Under the best of cases, Sandburg would appreciate a familiar face… under the worst; he didn't want to think about it.

He started to say something then stopped. Now was not the time. He wished there was something he could do for Sandburg, or for his roommate but until they knew something thoughts of the worst would haunt them both.

"He's supposed to be taking his practical tomorrow…"

Jim Ellison's tone was soft, but Simon could hear the worry beneath it.

A slight smile came to Simon's face as he thought about the day he'd met Blair Sandburg. Untrained, the man had taken out two of Kinkaid's militia men. He hated to think what Blair could do with training.

He turned when he realized Jim was staring at him. "I was just thinking about Blair's first day in Major Crimes. The man does have a way of getting into trouble… and a way of getting out."

That thought carried them through to Burien Washington.


	2. The Packet August 8th, 1999

**The Packet**

Sunday, August 8th 1999

The packet had arrived a week ago. Jim had done his best to prepare Blair for it, but there were a lot of changes coming and he couldn't explain them all. As expected, it had caused yet another period of reflection and re-evaluation for the former anthropologist.

It was hard watching Sandburg go through all of this. The University had been his life since he was 16 and suddenly all he'd worked for had been torn away from him. And now—now he was preparing for 720 hours of training that promised nothing but hard work and sweat to prepare him for a thankless job that could very well get him killed.

It had amazed him at how well Sandburg had taken it all, but then he'd also seen what it had cost him. The hardest part had been when he'd seen the ready smile fade from his friend's face.

Starting over was hard. He'd done it enough times that he knew what to expect but Sandburg? He wasn't sure he'd have taken things as graciously if it had been him and he'd admitted it to Blair.

It was the one thing he could give his friend before he headed out: the truth. Some people saw him as the stronger member of the team, but there was strength and then there was strength and Blair Sandburg had more than proved his metal.

Tonight, on the way home, Jim had had the first pang of doubt. He realized that this was the last night he'd spend with Sandburg until the training was over.

Sure, he'd be home some weekends, but Jim remembered how worn out the Academy had left him, and he didn't really think Blair would be up for much even if he did come home on the weekends.

Last week Blair had turned over his 'dis' to Simon, asking him to act as Jim's guide if necessary. Simon had joked half heartedly about it being the Holy Grail, but for Sandburg it was.

He put his hand on the door, unsure what he'd find tonight. Yesterday when he'd gotten home, he'd been surprised to find Sandburg standing in front of the mirror, completely zoned out on his own image.

"Shaved and shorn," Sandburg had lamented.

It had been the biggest and most traumatic change to date. The dissertation was something he'd worked on—it had been part of his life but his hair—that had been a part of him, probably for as long as he could remember.

One more step on the journey that would take him away from Cascade.

Jim took a deep breath and opened the door. Other than a duffel bag near the door, there was no sign of his roommate.

"Chief?" he called as he juggled his keys and the bag of carryout from the Thai place down the street.

"Sandburg?" He tensed when he didn't hear anything and then he saw Blair sitting at the table going through is paperwork.

"Oh, hey Jim," he said, then nodded to the copy of '_Recruit Rules and Regulations_' he'd been reviewing. "Just… making sure everything's in order."

Jim nodded, setting the food on the kitchen counter before grabbing a beer from the fridge. "You'll do fine Sandburg."

Blair nodded. "If I can stick to the program and play their game."

That made Jim smile. Trust Sandburg to see through it all and realize that it was, like much of his education a game, but he could also tell that Blair was beginning to doubt he could play their game.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Blair shook his head pointing to the document in front of him. "Forty-one pages. Forty-One pages of rules, regulations and requirements… and I thought you were bad."

He snorted. "It's not that bad..."

"Really?" Blair asked in disbelief as he leafed through the rules and pointed to section 5A.180 Dormitory Rules.

"Jim… not only do I have to shine my shoes and belt, but I have to do it in a designated area… they have a designated area for polishing…"

"Sandburg, if anyone can adapt and blend it… it's you."

When Blair looked at him, he had to swallow hard. He'd never seen Sandburg look that miserable. "Alright Chief," he said taking the book and closing it. "I know you. You've read this thing cover to cover three times by now… tonight we relax and eat Thai food."

It had been a good decision. Talk had been relaxed, but tomorrow loomed over them, and they had to accept it.

That night Jim had almost fallen asleep when he heard Blair ask quietly, "Jim what's a hospital corner?"

So many changes were coming… for both of them.


	3. Baby Blues August 9th, 1999

**Baby Blues**

He'd heard the term in town when he stopped for his last cup of coffee as a 'long haired neo-hippie wannabe.' The phrase seemed both endearing and derogatory at the same time. Any other day he probably would have stopped to examine the cultural interdependence between the town and the students at the academy; that is any day, but the day he was coming, not to study the culture, but to become a part of it.

He took another sip of his coffee savoring the highs and lows of the perfectly balanced flavor. He'd had police coffee before and if the academy was about training them to be police officers one of the first things they should do is teach them how to make a decent cup of coffee.

He opened his notepad and wrote a few things down in the shorthand he'd developed over the years. He found it somehow comforting and familiar.

The barista was talking about the 'Baby Blues' again. There was the cute one with the chiseled jaw who seemed to have really made an impression. Then there were the three she said probably weren't going to make it.

Her friend seemed to think it was a shame some of them were giving up whatever they could have been to become police officers.

Blair Sandburg couldn't help but notice the warning look the barista shot her friend. Somehow she knew why he was there, even though they'd only exchanged pleasantries as he placed his order.

She brought a pot over, offering him a refill.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked her as she poured some more coffee into his cup.

"New person, showing up for the first time at the start of 'Hell Week,'" she explained. "It's usually a safe bet."

Blair had nodded then and even now as he reviewed his schedule he couldn't help think about the cheerful young woman, Brittany.

She'd recommended the best barber in town—told him that she'd be in the coffee house most evenings if he needed someone to talk to. Something told him, he was going to need someone to talk to before training was over.

It had been a bittersweet day. After what seemed like years of stagnation, he was finally on the path to where he knew he belonged—even if his roommate and the training officers didn't seem to think so.

Ellison had warned him that it wouldn't be easy, and he'd accepted that, but he hadn't expected as much resistance from the other cadets. They were all 'Baby Blues' after all, but some it would seem were bluer than others.

In his mind he could hear Ellison quip, 'and some are just more babies than others.'


	4. Hell Week Week of August 9th

**Hell Week**

**Push-ups - August 9th, 1999 (evening)**

Push-ups

Speak out of line, push-ups. Get the answer wrong: push-ups. Look at the DI wrong, push-ups. Fail to look at the DI: push-ups. And then, for something completely different there was P.T. which of course… involved push-ups .

Blair was beginning to understand why Jim had so much upper body strength, not that he would ever speak out of line, get the answer wrong or tick off the DI.

He wasn't sure but he was beginning to suspect that his breathing ticked off the DIs.

While he wasn't the top of his class in size, build, speed, endurance or even memorization, Blair wasn't the bottom of his class in any of those either. He wasn't sure, but he got the distinct impression someone had singled him out.

Then again, there were several in his class who felt the same way. All he knew as he collapsed into his bunk that first night was that it was going to be a very interesting five months.

**Pitt and the Pendulum - August 10th, 1999**

Blair rushed to assembly; with each step he was plotting his revenge on his roommate David Pitt. His roommate who not only didn't think he'd make the cut now seemed to be trying to help him not make the cut.

True, he could have accidentally tripped over the cord to Blair's alarm, but pulling the backup battery out of the alarm… that wasn't something you could do 'accidentally.' Fortunately he'd worked with Ellison long enough that he was used to getting up a lot earlier than he did as a grad student.

He'd also learned a trick or two about shortcuts.

As they fell in for P.T. Blair took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. Revenge would wait, and if he was lucky Karma would do his work for him and if not Karma, at the very least physics.

'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction' became his mantra.

**The obstacle course - August 11th, 1999**

"Get over it…. Come on Sandburg… your partner needs you on this side…" the DI yelled. He wasn't sure, but he was beginning to think the obstacle course was going to be the death of him.

He knew it was only his third day, but he also knew he had to, as the DI so quaintly put it, 'get over it.'

Pitt of course had gotten over the wall with ease as had at least half the trainees. Of the remaining half only three had finally been ordered to walk around the wall: Blair, Ackerman and Davis.

Ackerman was a decent enough fellow, but Blair was fairly certain he wasn't cut out for police work. Then again, knowing everyone seemed to feel the same about him he decided he'd do what he could to help. Davis on the other hand lacked the upper body strength needed to get over. She had the drive, she just had to learn how to get over the wall.

After evening mess Blair knew they had an hour before lights out. That gave them at least forty-five minutes to study the course. When he suggested it, Ackerman declined but Davis nodded and cheerfully declared "I'm game."

It turned out they weren't the only ones who were game. Another trainee, Robertson was on the course. Blair shook his head. As near as he could remember Robertson had all but sailed over the course and as he watched he could see why. The man didn't try to climb over the wall as much as run over it.

When he noticed he had an audience, Robertson stopped and gave them a sheepish smile. "Ever hear of Parkour?"

**Survival - August 14th, 1999**

He had survived Hell Week, but something told him it was only the beginning.

He understood the reasoning behind the treatment, the need to break people down to their component parts and rebuild them into what they needed to survive being a police officer, but knowing that and being on the receiving end were two different things.

He was short, he was too weak, he was too stupid… At least he knew he had them on the stupid part.

His roommate had grown more distant and had fallen in with a clique of 'blue bloods', men and women who's family had been in law enforcement since the beginning of time. All of who had picked out those they 'knew' wouldn't make it.

On their list: Ackerman, Davis, Robertson and Sandburg. Blair had known he had his work cut out for him before he'd even arrived—now at least he knew the troops he had to rally.

If anthropology had taught him anything it was that there was strength in numbers.


	5. Senseless Jim Ellsion day one

Senseless - Day one

James Ellison lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He had expected things to be quieter without Blair, but not this. Sandburg tended to fill the loft with sound. He had music, recordings of waves, of song birds, hell Sandburg even had a recording of space which he played almost constantly and now the apartment was more like a resonating chamber than a buffer to the sound.

He was used to Sandburg's comings and goings, but now that it was it gone… he heard everything else. He heard the dripping faucet next door, the cats in the alley down the street, a dog somewhere on the block wanting out.

Up until that point he'd thought of Blair's 'soundtrack' as an annoyance. Who knew Sandburg had been his very own white noise generator?

Part of him wanted to go downstairs and turn on the CD player, but he knew it wouldn't be the same.

'Going to have to get used to it,' he told himself as he rolled onto his side, but another voice inside told him. 'Only seventeen more weeks…'

* * *

It was still dark when Jim got up. There were some things that were nice about having the loft to himself again: there was no wait for the shower, no 'odd smelling' concoctions in the teapot and he didn't have to worry about waking anybody up as he began his morning routine.

It was an odd luxury that let him work out in the morning without having to go to the station to do it. He let himself fall into his old pre-Sandburg routines, but there would be no 'reverting'. No, he'd learned too many things working with the anthropologist to ever go back to they solitary figure. He'd learned importance of working with a partner.

Two eyes were not only "'better than one", they were multiplied by the points of view interpreting what they eye saw.

Show him a coffee bean and he could tell you its chemical make up, even the type of soil it came from. Rafe would tell you about the evolution of coffee culture and the types of people who liked that particular coffee, Simon would tell you the best way to brew that bean and Sandburg… well, Sandburg would launch into a lecture of the anthropological factors surrounding the bean and the cultures that were bound together by it and the socioeconomic forces that would shape the native cultures around the plant: different pieces of the same puzzle.

He used to hate working with others and now he looked forward to what they'd bring to the table. And Sandburg? Sandburg was usually the one who set the table.

'Seventeen more weeks,' he thought to himself as he poured his coffee into the travel mug and headed for the door.


	6. Coffee Clash August 15th

**Coffee Clash – August 15th**

Blair smiled as he entered the coffee house. Brittany was there as promised and the place didn't seem that crowded.

"Blair," Brittany called out. "Didn't recognize you at first, I was hoping you'd show up. I have some new Organic Peruvian I thought you might like."

Blair smiled and nodded. "Yeah… no more 'long haired hippy freak' comments," he said running a hand through his close cropped hair.

"Once a long haired hippy freak, always a long haired hippy freak," she quipped, her eyes twinkling. There was something in her tone that indicated that it was a plus in her book.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he said as she set out fixing him a cup of said organic coffee.

"Yes?"

The Academy didn't want students 'teaching' each other, but there was nothing in the rules about classmates casually meeting off campus and discussing the areas they'd had problems with. He figured Brittany wouldn't mind the extra customers, but he figured it would be best to ask her first.

Davis and Robertson had been on board from the start but Ackerman had taken some more convincing It finally came down to Blair pointing out that the caustic environment of the academy wasn't going to help him and he needed a break—and caffeine.

Blair wasn't sure, but the final selling point was caffeine.

"Would you mind if some friends and I met here occasionally… kinda of blow off steam…"

Brittany looked at Blair and laughed. "Blair… it's why we're here. You guys don't blow off steam, we lose business."

"Yeah but…"

"No 'buts'," she said. "You and your…"

She stopped mid-sentence, her gaze hardening as several other recruits entered the coffeehouse. She tilted her head, her expression saying more than words ever could.

Blair turned, his shoulders sagging slightly. He should have known Pitt and his cronies would stake this place out as theirs.

"Sandburg, shouldn't you be back at the dorm studying?" Pitt asked with a sneer.

Blair bit back a comeback and turned back towards Brittany. Her scowl softened when she saw his expression.

"So the good squad isn't yours?" she asked sotto voce.

Blair rolled his eyes and let a breath out. "No, my friends are the ones they goon over."

Brittany laughed and handed Blair his coffee. "Your friends will be welcome…"

Blair paid for his coffee and headed for the door only to have Pitt 'accidentally get in his way.' Blair bit back a comment as he shook his hand to get cool the coffee that had spilled there.

"You should watch that Sandburg… Could have gotten hurt…"

Blair smiled at him feigning indifference; he started to say something, then shook his head and walked on. It wasn't worth it.

As a police observer he knew Pitt would either learn or never make it past patrol, as an anthropologist he knew that this sort of posturing was part of establishing a pecking order in the class or trainees. It meant less than nothing, but his reaction would determine his standing in their society.

As a trainee, he also knew that part of their job would be deescalating potentiall volatile situations and dealing with hostile citizens. He decided to treat this as a live training exercise and wisely walked away.

Any other reaction would have given Pitt the upper hand.


	7. Monday Morning Runin August 16th

**Standard Disclaimer - I make no claim to owing the characters or world of the Sentinel. They remain their own, and that of their creators. I simply like to play in their wold.**

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**Monday Morning Run In– August 16th**

Blair was beginning to wonder if it was too early to start counting the weeks until graduation.

While the DI's tried to force them to work together, Pitt and his cronies seemed to be doing their best to get the 'undesirables' singled out, singled out and culled from the class.

Their first victim had been Ackerman, who they managed to get appointed Class Sergeant.

He wondered if Pitt and his cronies realized that even if Ackerman completely failed in the position it was the class as a whole would suffer not just Ackerman.

They were entirely missing the point of the Academy. They trained together as a unit so they could work as a unit and there was no room for schoolyard bullies.

He was beginning to doubt that Pitt would survive a day on the streets as a Rookie. Despite himself the thought made him crack a smile and that was all the DI needed.

"You think this is funny Sandburg?"

"Sir, no Sir," Blair answered kicking himself mentally for his lapse in concentration.

"You were laughing about something…"

Blair remained still. "I did not laugh sir," he answered truthfully.

"You smiled."

"Yes sir, I did smile."

"You think a smile is going to help you on the streets?"

"Sometimes," Blair answered. "A smile can sometimes deescalate a situation, if however the aggressor finds it inappropriate, it may actually cause an escalation. It is a police officer's job to try and deescalate possibly volatile situations resulting in a peaceful outcome."

He forced himself to face forward as the DI tried to burn through his skull with his glare.

Just when he thought he couldn't take any more the DI relented. "Very good Sandburg."

Blair forced himself to remain still. He had taken the attention away from Ackerman, allowing the man a chance to regroup.

"Class 440, think about what Recruit Sandburg has said … on your three mile run."

Blair was not very popular that day.


	8. Senseless Part II

**Disclaimer: **This work is not meant to challenge ownership of the characters and places used in the story. Cascade, Simon Banks, Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg et al belong to Pet Fly (among others) It is meant to honor a show that ended long before it needed to.

* * *

**Tuesday– Major Crimes – August 17****th**** Senseless Part II **

Detective James Ellison eyed the coroner suspiciously. Something was very wrong, and he was fairly certain he was going to need to talk to Blair about it.

One of the more prominent members of the Cascade who's who had died. That in and of itself wasn't anything to write home, or in this case call out, about. It happens.

Being an unattended death, Major Crimes had been sent to do the preliminary investigation and everything had seemed in order. From the preliminary reports, the man in question had died of a massive coronary, but there was something that bothered Jim about it.

His senses told him nothing was wrong. There were no unexplained scents, nothing … felt... tainted. But that 'wrongness' had continued to haunt him and now, the coroner was watching him with what seemed fascination.

"What?" he finally asked giving into the irritation he'd been feeling.

The coroner looked at him, his expression both perplexed and amused. "You really can't smell it can you?"

Jim rolled his eyes. "I can't smell anything, I didn't see anything... taste anything in the air... what is going on?"

The man smiled and shrugged. "The man was poisoned," he explained.

"Wouldn't have found it without running blood samples through the mass-spectrometer in order to find it, match the signature to known poisons to find it... books say it's tasteless, odorless... I just... figured.."

He let the sentence trail off when he saw Jim's expression. He gave a sheepish shrug.

"I guess it really is..." the Coroner added under his breath.

He was going to have to call Sandburg.


	9. House Calls August 17th

**Disclaimer: **This work is not meant to challenge ownership of the characters and places used in the story. Cascade, Simon Banks, Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg et al belong to Pet Fly (among others) It is meant to honor a show that ended long before it needed to.

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**Tuesday– August 17****th**** House Calls**

"Sandburg, phone!" one of the other recruits called from the hallway.

Blair had never been so thankful for an excuse to leave his room. Even at his worst Jim had never been as venomous and caustic as Pitt.

"Sandburg," he answered as he picked up the handset.

There was an all too familiar pause before the caller responded. He knew before he even heard the first words that it was Jim. Of course, who else would it be? Naomi would never call him here, not where her baby boy was being molded into something she despised.

"Chief… I can hear it in your voice. What's going on?"

"Nothing I didn't expect and nothing I can't handle. It's just the standard things you have to go through when you try and integrate yourself into a new culture or society. You worry too much."

He could almost hear Jim smile and accept Blair's anthropological assessment of the situation. But he also knew there was a hint of worry on Jim's part.

"Jim, if I can find a way to fit in with the Major Crimes Unit, I think I can manage to, if not fit in, at least muddle through here."

"The Academy is hard enough on normal recruits and you are anything but normal…"

"So they keep reminding me," Blair answered and then immediately regretted it. He could almost hear the gears turning as Jim switched from partner to big brother.

"I'll be fine mom," he sighed shaking his head, hoping Ellison would get the message and move on. "So… why the call?"

There was a long pause before Ellison finally answered.

"New case… unattended death, looking like murder."

"How?"

"Poison."

Blair paused as he thought about the implications.

"Odorless, tasteless poison."

Blair's eyes narrowing as he realized what Ellison was saying.

"Really…"

"Yeah Sandburg, really."

Blair drew a deep breath before speaking. "In my room, Middle book case, third shelf… look for 'Modern toxicology of ancient remedies,' by M. D'Mar and J Filles. Dr. Meredith D'Mar is teaching at Rainer this semester… She really knows her stuff… you might want to check with her…"

He could hear Jim rummaging around until he found the book in question. Blair could also tell when Jim had seen the picture of Dr. D'Mar by the intake of air. "She's…"

"A very brilliant chemist and well respected lecturer…"

He was totally unprepared for Jim's response of, "yes mom…"

He laughed.

"Okay… I'll leave you to it then…."

"Sandburg…"

"Jim, if I can deal with you glaring at me… believe me… you could teach the DI's something when it comes to glaring… I'll be fine."

And suddenly he knew it was true.


	10. A Close Shave August 18th

**Disclaimer: **This work is not meant to challenge ownership of the characters and places used in the story. Cascade, Simon Banks, Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg et al belong to Pet Fly (among others) It is meant to honor a show that ended long before it needed to.

* * *

**Wednesday August 18th - a close shave.**

They caught him coming out of the shower.

He'd been expecting trouble in class and on the training course, veiled threats after hours, but not an out and out assault, especially when he was armed with nothing more than what Naomi Sandburg had given him and he knew charm was not going to work with these bozos.

They were wearing dark sweats- the kind every recruit was supposed to have at least three of, and their faces were masked with makeshift hoods.

"You don't belong here," one of them stated.

As he spoke Blair focused on everything he'd coached Jim on. He noticed the timbre and the tone as well as any accents.

"Guys, it's been less than two weeks... how do any of us really know who belongs and who doesn't?"

He knew they were going to do whatever they'd planned no matter what he said. They'd been building this up in their minds and they wanted him to fear them.

"You aren't police material."

It was a second person. Good. He needed to be able to identify the trouble makers. He snorted. He'd faced down a serial killer intent on taking over his life. A bunch of adrenalin laden Neanderthals, while dangerous weren't nearly as unpredictable.

"Look, guys, while I really appreciate you looking out for me like this, I have a ton of studying to do..."

Before they could react he heard a call from the hallway. It was Davis.

"Sandburg, phone... Cascade PD need to talk to you... says it's important."

He looked at his would be attackers and waited as they cleared the way for him. He'd been spared... for now.

He gave them a slight nod and walked through the door and out into the hallway, his towel still wrapped around his waist. Davis gave him a raised eyebrow and nodded towards the phone.

"Sandburg," he answered the phone, but there was nothing but a dial tone. He looked around and saw Davis walking by. She looked back towards the bathroom and shook her head.

"You might want to talk to your friend," she said softly as she walked by.

Something told him she'd heard a lot more than she should have.


	11. Senseless Part III

**Disclaimer: **This work is not meant to challenge ownership of the characters and places used in the story. Cascade, Simon Banks, Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg et al belong to Pet Fly (among others) It is meant to honor a show that ended long before it needed to.

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**August 19th - Senseless**

Meredith D'Mar turned out to be even prettier in person than she was on the dust cover for her book. Jim would have loved to have spent more time with her, but it seemed all she wanted to talk about was Toxicology, Poisons and what a great guy Blair Sandburg was.

He smiled and shook his head. "I'll tell him you said 'hi'"

She blushed at his comment and chuckled. "Sorry... my therapist said I need to slow down and actually listen to people ... Believe it or not... this is the new improved me... I'm actually much better..."

Jim held his hand up. "I believe you..."

He was trying to be reassuring and set her at ease, but his comment triggered another nervous chuckle.

"I'm doing it again aren't I... I'm sorry I just... I get this way with people I don't know..."

Jim nodded. "Tell you what Dr. D'Mar why don't you just pretend you're talking to Blair... he's my friend... he recommended I talk to you on this subject... "

She nodded and took a deep breath.

"So... you say that the poison was tasteless and ordorless..."

Jim nodded as the woman got down to business.

"You know that taste and smell are linked," she began. "It's why when you have a cold.. everything tastes funny..."

Jim listened as she began her explanation of what he'd experienced."

"So... there's either nothing to smell or... something is blocking my ability to process the smell or... "

"Or there is something in the sample that is actually suppressing your brain's ability to process the smell."

"But what about taste?"

"It's still part of chemosensation. How your brain processes chemical information."

Jim frowned. While it made sense it meant he could offer no special insight into the case.

"If you can get me a sample... I can process it and try to figure out why you can't sense it..."

He smiled at her offer. "I'd appreciate it."

She smiled back. "It's a challenge, and now you have my curiosity piqued..."


	12. Overthinking August 19th

**Disclaimer: **This work is not meant to challenge ownership of the characters and places used in the story. Cascade, Simon Banks, Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg et al belong to Pet Fly (among others) It is meant to honor a show that ended long before it needed to.

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**August 19th - Overthinking**

Blair had spent the last eighteen hours trying to decipher Davis' message. She had saved him from an 'attitude readjustment' from his peers with a simple ruse, but how had she known someone from Cascade might call him? How had she known that he needed rescuing?

There were too many questions and he'd had no chance to act.

Was she recommending he talk to Jim, get his advice, or was she telling him to act like he was talking to his friend?

He wasn't sure if he liked the way she was watching over him, and if she'd heard certain conversations.

He prayed to god he didn't have another Alex Barnes on his hands.


End file.
